Neverland
by Ink Runs Through My Veins
Summary: A high school reunion letter has arrived for Henley. But she doesn't want to be reminded of a past she longs to forget.


Feels like I took forever to finish this.

I don't own the characters. I attach strings to them and shout, "Dance marionettes! Dance for my pleasure!"

* * *

Second star to the right and straight on 'till morning.

That's always been the legend. Second star to the right, and straight on 'till morning. You need to fly to get there. But when you do, you'll find a magical place called Neverland. Here you'll never have to grow up, and there are adventures every day. The Lost Boys will be sure to help you out with that, led by the head Lost Boy, Peter Pan, and his right-hand fairy, Tinkerbell. Together they'll help you explore Mermaid Lagoon, dance with the Indians, and steal treasure from Captain Hook and his band of merry pirates.

At least you'll never be bored.

I've always dreamed of meeting them. Going on adventures together, frightening Captain Hook and his crew, and flying. Yes, flying. Soaring through the air as if all the worries and cares just floated off my shoulders. Whispering with the wind, napping on the fluffiest clouds I could find, and running across the ocean without sinking.

The one thing I've always dreamed about, ever since I first heard his stories, was meeting Peter Pan.

I've heard that mermaids fight over who gets to play with him, and Tinkerbell has quite a conniption fit whenever another girl tries to get too close. Is he really that handsome? Mother said he is the most handsome boy who ever lived, but I was thirteen and I still cringed at the sight of a boy.

I'm older now, almost twenty five, and I still believe in the legend of Peter Pan.

How could I not? He is the reason I am now one of the best magicians in the world. He is all Mother used to talk about. I'm sure that if I had a father, he would have been so jealous. It all stopped after I reached my teens. I think Mother thought that I was too old to be listening to such _**nonsense **_as my classmates used claim.

A majority of my classmates were idiots, so I mostly told them that they could stick their comments up their own asses.

* * *

It is almost the same routine every day. I wake up, shower, get dressed, skip breakfast in favor of a hot espresso, and head to rehearsal.

The Four Horsemen are now legends. There are posters of us all over the world and we have fans from all over asking us to perform in their hometowns. We are greeted with cheers and police sirens alike whenever we arrive somewhere.

I certainly didn't have time for high school reunions.

I haven't think about high school for awhile. Too busy getting kicked out of my house, learning magic from my crazy uncle, and too busy trying to survive on the streets to really have any high school nostalgia.

That's why I was so shocked when I saw the invitation.

Jack glanced at my expression and double-backed. "You okay Hen?"

I shook my head, trying to snap myself out of it. "Fine."

He gave me a look of doubt. "Really? 'Cause you look like you just saw Merritt naked."

I chuckled. "Nah, something worse." I held up the opened letter. "High school reunion letter. Dylan must have found it somewhere and left it for me."

"You wanna go?"

I shrugged. "We need to be in Brazil for our next show and Danny and I haven't agreed on the set list yet. Besides," I added as an afterthought. "I'm part of the Four Horsemen now. It will attract too much attention."

"How much attention could you attract at a high school reunion?"

It was just my luck that Daniel and Merritt walked into the room the exact same time he said those words. "What's this about a reunion?" Daniel asked.

Jack piped up before I could stop him. "Henley got a high school reunion invite. She thinks Dylan left it for her."

Merritt grinned. "Sounds fun. When do we leave?"

I grimaced. "I wasn't planning on going.

Jack pouted. "C'mon Henley! What's the harm?"

"We have shows to perform, in case you've forgotten."

Merritt snuck an arm around my shoulder. "Relax Hen-Hen. We only have a few more shows before the tour is over and we head to Brazil."

"And," Daniel interjected. "I'm sure your classmates will be very surprised to meet _**us**_."

I fiercely shook my head. "No way. If I do end up going, no way in the world am I bringing any of you three."

Merritt grinned. "Well it does say you can bring one person. Go with just me."

Daniel shot his coworker a glare. "Why can't I go?"

Merritt smirked. "Because I'm better looking."

Jack crossed his arms and smiled in pure superiority. "I believe that category goes to me. I do have a bigger fan base than either of you."

I rubbed my temples, feeling a bad headache coming on as I listened to them take more shots at each other. "I'm not going and that's final!"

* * *

"You guys suck."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Of course we do. Now shut up and keep the scarf on."

It's not like I had a choice. They had tied my wrists and blindfolded me. They must have tied me up with steel because for the life of me and all my escaping skills, I couldn't wiggle free. "No really, you guys do suck. In fact, the moment this hell is over I'm going to ask Dylan about a solo career just to get away from you guys."

Merritt laughed from the front seat, probably in the driver's spot. "We'll see about that."

I huffed. I had been planning on sneaking out to avoid the boys when I was suddenly blindfolded, and thrown in a car. They better thank God that I was already dressed properly or they would be dead.

The car suddenly halted and my stomach dropped.

Crap, I wasn't ready for this!

The bindings on my wrists were removed and I was escorted out of the car. I blinked as artificial light blinded my eyes as Jack removed the blindfold.

I sighed and rubbed my wrists. "Who is going with me?"

Danny held out his arm like the gentleman he was not. "That would be me."

Jack pouted. "We'll be outside, looking at the big party inside..."

Daniel laughed. "Stop trying to make me feel guilty."

I smirked, but took his arm anyways. "How did you guys decide on that? Drawing straws?" Silence, so I guess I was right. "Did you rig it?"

If I didn't know any better I'd say I saw him flush a little. "Let's go."

* * *

The place had definitely not changed. It was still massive and expensive looking. I still hated it with all my heart.

We signed in, got our name badges, and walked into the gym. It was big and reminded you of those dances you see in romantic movies. Tables on the edges of the gym with a gigantic dance floor in the middle. Most of the adults were gyrating their hips and making a fool of themselves to the pop music blaring from the DJ table on the stage. The place smelled of sweat and melancholy and the desperation to forget you weren't young anymore.

I found our name places on a table by the doors. Good. If I needed to bolt I could do it fast. Thankfully there was no one at the table, but that didn't mean I couldn't feel the eyes on us the moment we walked through the door.

Very gently (and very unlike him) Daniel helped me remove my gray coat to reveal a stunning dark green cocktail number. My neck was wrapped thrice with a thin silver chain, an intricate Celtic knot at the base of my throat. Simple high-heeled ankle boots with leather straps completed the look. I may not have been the most extravagant woman there, but if I assumed that most of the males drooling in my direction was because of me, then I was stunning.

Daniel comfortingly rubbed my arm, another habit that was very unusual of him. I chalked it up to the fact that I was more tense than he had ever seen me and he knew that now was not the time for egotistical jokes about himself. "You're doing fine. No one is going to attack you."

I could still feel the stares. Some weren't even trying to hide it. "Whatever you say Danny."

Two women and men approached our table and goosebumps on my arms appeared. One of the women was incredibly pregnant, but that didn't stop her from wearing skyscraper heels, gold jewelry that flashed in my eyes, and a short dress. Her bubblegum blond hair corkscrewed all the way down her back. The other woman was dressed in an impeccable business suit that looked professional and new. Even so, her strict hairstyle pulled at her face and made her look severe and a little ugly. The men were both wearing jeans and regular shirts; one had a beer belly and the other was stocky and missing a lot of hair.

The pregnant one smiled. She reminded me of a snake going in for it's prey. "Henley." She cooed. "How nice to see you again." She said nice like she would rather eat rat poison than be five feet near me.

Well same to you bitch. I smiled politely. "Nice to see you too Amber."

The strict one sniffed. "I see that you haven't really changed." Her New Jersey accent was especially thick.

"Also nice to see you as well Ursula." I had to kick Danny's leg as he tried to hide his laughter at her name. "Are you all married?"

Amber beamed and patted her belly. "In case your pathetic brain missed it I'm pregnant with Hector's child."

Danny bristled at the obvious insult but I simply replied, "I saw, Amber. I just wanted to make sure. Ursula? What about you?"

If Ursula's nose went any higher it would reach the ceiling. "I married Richard as soon as I graduated law school. I just signed a partnership with one of New Jersey's most prestigious law firms."

"Congratulations."

She sniffed in reply. "It's not like you've done anything productive with your life. I mean, magic?" She tried to laugh, though it came out as more of a snort. "You must live in the trashiest house." She narrowed her eyes at Daniel. "Or are you married to him?" She pointed a long finger at him.

We both took one look at each other and burst into laughter. "Me and Danny? Maybe when someone discovers a cure for cancer. No." I choked once my laughter settled down. Danny was shaking off the chuckles. "No, this is my business partner, J. Daniel Atlas. We work together on stage."

"Another magician then." Ursula said magician like I would have said that time of the month. "Did he drop out of high school? Or maybe he wasn't smart enough to get into college?"

"Actually," Danny finally calmed down. "I have a degree in Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. I graduated early."

Although the Engineering part wasn't news to me, Ursula paled when she heard the name of the college. "W-Well I–"

He seemed to enjoy seeing her flustered. "Yes. Harvard and Stanford both asked me to apply, but they didn't have enough scholarships to support my financial situation, so I ended up at CMU."

"I-I-I-"

He nodded. "My shows would never have been a big success as they were without my beautiful distraction." I blushed as he gestured to me. I hadn't heard him complement me like that in awhile.

That seemed to snap Ursula out of her stuttering. Amber beside her scoffed. "Puh-lease. You have to be exaggerating. Henley is barely worth anyone's time. In fact, she was voted ugliest in the school for four years running."

"Excuse me?" Danny asked outraged.

Warning bells went off in my head and I put my hand over to his to prevent him from doing something stupid. "It's okay Danny." I tried to reassure him. "What they say doesn't matter."

Amber scoffed. "Says the daughter of a drunk. I mean, does your mother even know who your father is?"

Her words were clogging up my throat and I had to clench my fists. This is why I hated high school. It was never because I wasn't rich or beautiful or smart enough. It was always because of my heritage. "Stop it." I whispered.

Ursula sneered. "What? Can't accept the truth? That you were always a _**mistake**_?"

"I was _**not**_ a mistake." I snapped. "My mom loved me and if she wanted to get rid of me, she would have done it a long time ago. She only kicked me out of the house because she couldn't afford to feed me anymore. It made me stronger! I learned my trade for free and I became successful at it. I became famous! Now I'm on tour and I'm making much more money than either of you ever will." I shot them disgusted looks. "I can clearly see that some people still haven't graduated from high school."

"We were only putting trash where it belonged." Amber spat.

"If anyone here is trash it's all of you." I spat back. "Putting others down to make yourselves feel taller is childish and immature and y'all should feel ashamed of yourselves because even now you don't know any better."

Amber flushed. "Trash!" She screeched, gaining the attention of the entire auditorium. "Piece of filthy white trash! You don't belong here!" On and on she ranted about what a mutt I was. I think I saw her mouth foam.

I was about to respond when Daniel's hand came from behind me and slid over my mouth. "You did well." He murmured in my ear. "Now it's our turn."

The music cut out and the lights dimmed. Some screamed, holding on to their companions in fear. Two shadows appeared on the stage. The ladies gasped and swooned as Jack smiled. "Hello St. Anthony High School!" He spoke into a microphone. "Welcome to the show. If the rest of the Four Horsemen could join us on stage?"

"What's going on?" I hissed at Daniel as he pulled me by the wrist towards the stage. "Danny, this is crazy! I haven't rehearsed on this stage!"

He grinned back at me. "Improvise then."

* * *

The closest thing I could compare performing on an unknown stage is someone blindfolding you and then expecting you to walk through a maze you've already memorized. You have to rely on muscle memory, especially for performing tricks.

But as usual, we were the center of attention. The crowd loved us. I felt in control and powerful; something I've never felt in school before. Everyone who had ever teased or picked on me was watching me at my greatest. I saw the envious faces of Amber and Ursula as we performed the bubble trick (Daniel and I had insisted it be a part of our regular act) and Danny caught me.

Just before we ended the performance Merritt and Jack asked for volunteers. All of the audience raised their hands, including eager Amber and Ursula. I wasn't surprised when they, along with their husbands, were called up to the stage. They introduced themselves, flipping their hair with their noses pointed to the ceiling as per their usual introduction.

Jack grinned. "For our final act, we need all of you to stand in a line on stage." They did as they were told. "Now, Merritt is going to perform a little hypnotism on all of you."

I laughed as one by one, they were hypnotized into ridiculous things. Santa Claus, a pigeon, Dorothy from Wizard of Oz, and a drunk. The gym was filled with hysterics as they watched their once idolized fellow students acting like idiots. I was right there with them, watching my tormentors finally fall from grace.

Daniel jerked me into a bow with the rest of my boys. "We are the Four Horsemen," We did our final parting speech. "and goodnight!"

* * *

The police cars were already pulling into the gym as we sped away from what was once my Hell on Earth.

"I can't believe," I had to take deep breaths to make sure I didn't die of suffocation from too much laughter. "you guys just left them there! When will the hypnotism stop?"

"In an hour." Merritt grinned. "Plenty of time for those water balloons we have to pop over their heads."

I grinned. "You guys are the best." I leaned forward to kiss them both on the cheeks. "Really. What would I do without you?"

Jack was grinning and his cheeks were pink. "Well, you would be beyond bored!"

I giggled and turned to Danny. "Thanks for jumping in when you did." I kissed his cheek too, although my lips were closer to his. "You were a great date."

For once, Danny seemed speechless. I grinned even wider. His cheeks were the color of apples. He tried to say something, but words refused to come out of his mouth.

"Hey guys." We turned to Merritt's voice. You could hear his smirk as he talked. "You know, they're saying on the radio that some scientist kid is on his way to discovering the cure for cancer. Danny, you better start saving up some money for that wedding ring."

Now both of our cheeks were red. "How did you hear that?" I shrilly demanded.

Jack turned back to us. "C'mon Henley. You really thought Merritt and I were going to miss out on your high school reunion? You know us better than that."

"Besides, ol' Danny here knew we were there the entire time."

I whipped my head to glare at Daniel, who immediately paled at Merritt's words. "And you didn't tell me, why?"

"Because we told him not to." Jack piped up again. "We all agreed that whoever got to be your date couldn't tell you that the others were there."

I rolled my eyes. "I take all those kisses back. I'm still going to ask Dylan for a solo career as soon as I reach a phone."

No one mentioned that I was still smiling, or that I was holding Daniel's hand all the way back to our hideout.


End file.
